Swimming Lessons
by AlexWayne
Summary: [Warning: set after the game] As Joel finally gets to teach Ellie how to swim, the two have some time to learn things about one another. A discovery about Joel leads Ellie to start a mission of her own to find a way for Joel to finally be happy as they adjust to a "normal" life.
1. Chapter 1

"Joel! I'm dying!"

"You're not dyin', just stand up."

"Oh," Ellie replied, standing up in a pond that came to her waist.

"You were doing well," Joel assured.

Ellie looked down into the murky water and frowned. She was clad in shorts and a tanktop, her feet bare as she scrunched her toes in the dirt below the surface. Joel wore a grey shirt and boxers that were considerably wetter than Ellie's clothes. The pair weren't far from the shore where towels and clothes lay waiting. The pool had been formed in a large crater the size of a house. Joel had thought this would be as good a place as any for her to learn. Here, within the newly-fenced area outside of Tommy's compound, Ellie was safe to try.

Even still, weeks after their arrival, Joel felt uneasy without a weapon on his hip. His eyes would occasionally wander to the fence around them and to the heap of clothes where his pistol sat. Ellie was concentrating too hard on the task at hand, and she felt secure around Joel. Her mind didn't stray from this challenge.

"I keep trying, but every time I try to relax I tense back up again," she explained, putting her hands on her hips.

"You can do this, kiddo. I've seen you take on much tougher things."

"Yeah, well, being tense _helps_ in those situations. Floating is the opposite."

"You've got this. Just try again."

Ellie let out a huff and allowed Joel to approach her again. He crouched down and lowered his arms into the water, palms up. Ellie stiffly reclined until she was on her back across his arms. Tension radiated off of the girl.

"Jus' relax, you're doing fine."

Ellie's face scrunched as her shoulders tightened. Joel began to lower his arms away from Ellie's back and she flailed, grabbing his shirt. His arms lurched back up.

"I gotcha," he insisted.

The young girl released another breath, on the verge of giving up. Joel needed to switch tactics.

"Close your eyes," he told her.

Ellie's green eyes snapped to Joel's and she shot him a look of suspicion.

"I'm serious, close your eyes."

Ellie groaned and shut her eyes, tensing up again.

"Picture somewhere calm," he began.

"Oh, this place right here," she replied sarcastically.

"I mean it, somewhere peaceful. Somethin' that makes you feel safe. If you could be anywhere in the world…"

In her head, Ellie was suddenly transported to the mall in Boston, standing before a beach poster with her best friend. The poster was bright with blues and oranges. Palm trees stretched high into the sky and the ocean seemed to stretch on forever. A vacation, they had said. Saving up to go surfing in Los Angeles. Ellie's face fell a bit as she floated and Joel stepped closer, cradling her better.

"You okay?"

Ellie snapped out of the memory and opened her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry, just...got lost a moment."

"Just try again. Close your eyes."

Her eyes closed again and she was back in the mall. She and Riley were playing at the arcade. _Close your eyes,_ Riley had told her. She imagined again what the fight as Angel Knives must have been like. The punches, the kicks, the blocks. The bloodsport. She smiled a little at the memory. Joel took a step back, only holding her gently with his hands. The memory of the carousel enveloped her. The feeling of the fiberglass horse, stained, but whose glimmer wasn't snuffed out. She could feel the movement of the ride as she spun around, taking in all the colors and smells and lights of the mall. It felt like home.

Ellie's eyes opened slowly when she realized Joel's hands were no longer beneath her. Her arms flailed and she lurched upright, her ponytail and hands flinging water as she struggled to right herself. Her eyes searched frantically for Joel. She found him almost immediately, standing a few feet away from her, his arms crossed and a satisfied smirk on his face.

"What the hell, Joel?" Ellie screeched.

"You did it."

"What?"

"You floated by yourself."

Ellie looked down at the water around her and then back at Joel.

"I...I did?"

A smile broke out for him. "You did it. I told you you could."

"Huh," Ellie let her arms fall casually to her sides and she smiled a bit herself. Slowly she closed her eyes and thought of the carousel as she reclined again, dipping into the water. Joel stepped forward protectively, but Ellie was already on her back, arms stretched and eyes snapped tight. She was floating. Then her butt began to sink and her head dipped below the water. She came up sputtering.

"Well, it's gonna take me some time to get used to," Ellie told him, wiping water from her eyes.

"True, but you'll get the hang of it. You did good."

"Thanks," she paused, "You're not such a bad teacher."

Joel laughed, sitting back in the water, "I _have_ done this before. I taught Sarah to swim."

Ellie smiled gently. "Was she as much of a natural as me?" she asked, batting her lashes.

Joel laughed. "She was pretty good. She was more ready to learn than I was _for_ her to learn. Growin' too fast, y'know?"

Ellie nodded. Silence fell between them as they thought the same thing. There were bags under her eyes still, but Joel didn't expect them to vanish soon, not with all they had been through lately. She was still lean, but she had been eating better these past weeks than the past year. She had grown a bit taller in the last month, and something in her face was changing. Joel couldn't tell if that part was natural aging or being aged by what had happened. She had grown up too fast, and it was still happening. Joel wanted nothing more than to freeze this moment. They could pretend it was just a normal day. The late-spring sun was beaming down. School would be out soon. The lawns would be mowed. The scent of barbeques would waft over the fence from the neighbors and Joel could sit with a cold beer and watch the game.

Ellie broke eye contact first, "So what's next after floating? Or do I need to master this first?"

Joel shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Treading water is key. Gotta be able to keep above the water. That's more important than anything else, but we gotta get to deeper water for that. This stuff's too shallow to tread. I was thinkin' the bottom of the dam, but I wanna be sure you can float first."

Ellie pursed her lips and nodded, taking the information in. She looked around the little pool.

"So...done for today?"

"Done for today."

Joel and Ellie headed towards the shore and grabbed their towels. Up the stairs towards the compound a man in his mid-thirties came trotting down, a tackle box and pole in his hands. The man had a youthful face, a glint in his eye that suggested he had held tight to his humor in the many years previous. He smirked at the pair as they dried off. His shaggy blonde hair came out in little tufts from under his hat. He nodded in greeting to them.

"Hey, Ellie. Joel," the man called.

"Hey Ash," Ellie called back, waving.

Joel nodded back to him, unsure who the man was.

"You getting some swimming in?"

"Yeah," Ellie shrugged, "Trying to. Joel's teaching me. _Finally_."

The man smiled, "That's awesome. I'm off to meet Stas to fish a bit. Catch you two around dinner."

"See ya!"

Ellie continued to towel herself off and began putting pants on over her shorts. Joel wiped his face and stared after the other man, trying to place him. As he grabbed his jeans, Joel turned his back on the man, who slowed his pace as he passed them. The man's eyes trailed down Joel's back as he cocked his head to the side. He let out a sigh then went on his way, headed down the path towards the gate in the fence.

Ellie's eyes never left the man, but as he slowly faded from view, an impish grin took over her face. She elbowed Joel as she gathered up her towel.

"What?" Joel asked, tying up his boots.

"Ash was checkin' you out," she replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

Joel quirked a brow and jerked his thumb in the direction of the man, "That guy?"

"You have no idea who he is, do you?" Ellie asked, amused, "Your age is getting to you. We're gonna have to put you in a home."

"He's just one of Tommy's guys."

"Well, duh. We sat with him and Stas and Quick the other night at dinner."

Joel's expression remained blank.

"Across from Tommy and Maria?" she continued.

Nothing.

"Well, whatever. He was there. Obviously he remembers you," she added poking him playfully in the ribs.

"He was jus' being' friendly."

"Psh. Friends don't check out other friends' asses."

Joel's eyes snapped to the gate. The man was no longer there. Joel paused a while then shook his head. "I think you're reading too much into it."

Ellie shot him a look. "Are you serious? That dude is gay and he likes you. Gay people still exist, doomsday didn't wipe em all out!"

Joel let out a laugh, "I know that. I'm not so backwards as you might think."

He finished lacing up his boots and gathered his things into his bag before checking the bullets of his revolver. Ellie stood by, holding her things. Her hair dripped down her back, continuing to soak her shirt. She bit her lip, wanting to speak.

" _I'm_ gay," she blurted.

Joel stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"I like...girls. I thought maybe I liked boys too but…" she paused, "Just girls."

Joel let out a sigh, holstering his gun. "Ellie...don't take this the wrong way…"

She braced herself for the worst.

"But...I know," he finished.

Ellie looked at him quizzically, "You what?"

"I know. Knew. Had my suspicions."

"How?"

"I dunno," he sighed, "Just a lot of signs."

"Like what?"

"Just...little signs...generally don't seem all that interested in boys, when we passed that movie poster with Hanna Whirlwind you called her 'hot'."

"No, I said she was _the_ hottest."

Joel outstretched his hands, resting his case.

"...I see your point," Ellie concluded.

"It's okay, you know," he told her.

She looked up at him, unsure.

"I'm okay with it. It's...who you are, and I'm fine with it. Ain't nothing wrong with being gay."

She nodded, relieved.

The pair began walking to the steps, heading back towards the buildings.

"So I guess you're not gay then, since you like women," Ellie continued.

"Ellie, sexuality's a spectrum. It's not just...gay or straight. You can be somewhere in between…"

"You can?"

"Well...yeah. Things aren't so cut and dry."

Ellie perked up, looking back to the gate.

"So...where are you on the-uh... _spectrum_?"

Joel let out a growl.

Ellie smiled devilishly. "Want me to ask him for his number?"

"You been watchin' too many movies lately."

"Come on, I'll be your wingman! I'd be such a good wingman."

"No, cause nothin's gonna happen."

"Why? Is he not your type?"

Joel reached the steps and began ascending. Ellie scampered up the steps behind him.

"Matter'fact he isn't."

Ellie stopped in her tracks, mouth agape, "So that means you _have_ a type!"

Joel didn't answer.

"How is that guy _not_ your type? He's a looker. Do you not like attractive men?"

"You ask too many questions."

"And _you_ avoid them," Ellie retorted in a sing-song voice, "Soooo why don't you like him?"

"Ellie…"

"Come on, you can tell me."

Joel shook his head. As they reached the top of the steps Ellie swung around the railing, jumping in front of Joel and walking backwards so she could make eye-contact.

"I'm your wingman," she told him, making a pouty face, "You can tell your wingman."

Joel looked away from her as they walked.

"Do you like big burly dudes? Super muscled guys? Or is that a turn-off cause hunters tend to look like that? Did you ever date a hunter?"

"Ellie."

"Sorry, too personal," she corrected, "Do you prefer the kind of guys that are like totally clean-shaven head to toe? What are they called? Tw...ti...no, twanks? Twinks?"

"Where did you learn that?"

"Bill's magazine," Ellie smiled, knowing she had to have gotten the word right.

Joel kept walking.

"So yes, twinks?"

"Ellie, I don't have a type. I haven't really dated much the last twenty years or so for some reason…"

"Mm, that's sad."

The pair carried on, Ellie trailing behind Joel now.

"Why don't you want to date him?"

Joel stopped in his tracks, eyes a bit wide. A man in coveralls off to the side looked at Joel. Joel nodded to him then turned back to Ellie.

"If I answer your question will you stop asking these things so loudly?"

"Deal," Ellie smiled.

"He's really young. I don't think we'd get on. I don't know anything else about him. M'not about to get involved with one of Tommy's people, man or woman."

Ellie nodded solemnly, "You gotta admit he's kinda cute."

"Fine."

"Wanna know his name?"

Joel sighed heavily, "Sure."

"Ashton. He's from Virginia. He misses football more than anything. He's gonna be at the table tonight. You should talk to him."

Joel shot her a look.

"What? I want you to be happy. Things have calmed down a bit now and really we're just...spending time. We don't have to travel. No end-goal. We're just...existing, and I just want you happy."

"I am happy."

"Tell that to your face," she snorted.

Joel sighed, "I mean...I'm content. I'm where I want to be, with the people I care to be around. I don't need nothin' else. You don't need to fuss over me. My life isn't incomplete cause I don't have a partner. Okay?"

Ellie waited a moment, thinking. She didn't want to be the only person besides Tommy that he was close with. She could feel his isolation. He had spent so long only being dependent on himself that he didn't seem to know how to be close with anyone else. Even with her it took a year to be where they were now. She was making friends with kids her age, talking with adults at the compound. She would talk and laugh with Tommy and Maria. Joel would spend time with them too, but at dinner he was quiet, watching the exits for signs of trouble. He would sit alone at the movies. He wouldn't admit it, but something was missing for him. Ellie wanted him taken care of.

"Okay, Joel."


	2. Chapter 2

Joel stared down into his bowl of soup, listening to the voices around him in the mess hall. Ellie had launched into a retelling of a book she had read recently. Tommy and Maria smiled and nodded along, listening patiently as Ellie gestured wildly, getting to the climax of the novel. Ashton and a woman named Janet listened along as well, but Janet occasionally snuck glances in Joel's direction, who paid her no mind.

"And then he _dies_!" Ellie announced, slamming her hand on the table for emphasis.

The eyes of her audience widened and Joel perked up at the noise.

"Wait...that's it?" Maria quirked a brow.

"Yeah!" Ellie replied, exasperated, "Just like that! That's the end of the book."

"That's not a very good ending," Ash added.

"Tell me about it. I almost threw it out the window. I thought maybe pages were missing or something, but no, the asshole ends his book with Jamie's death."

"That's sad…"

" _Yeah_ it's sad. What about Erin? They were gonna travel the world together. They were in love." Ellie threw up her hands, shaking her head disappointedly.

"Well," Tommy began, "Not all books have happy endings."

"Okay," Ellie added, leaning forward," But the world sucks enough as it is, couldn't Jamie and Erin just get a decent ending in fiction?"

"Joel used to say stuff like that," Tommy chuckled.

Joel, upon hearing his name, fully came into the conversation.

"Remember _Of Mice and Men_?" Tommy asked him.

"Hell you mean do I remember? Of course I do. Book was terrible." Joel growled.

"Hey, Ms. Jones _said_ it was a tragedy."

"No, what was tragic is that I had to write a report about why I liked the book."

"Never liked that book either," Ashton volunteered.

Ellie's eyes went back and forth between Ash and Joel and a small smirk crept across her face.

"So...what _do_ you like, Ash?" she asked, resting her elbow and the table and cradling her chin in her hand.

Joel shot her a look, but her eyes were on Ash.

"Uh...you ever read _Hatchet_? Good book. Had to read it in middle school. It made me want to be a survivalist. Careful what you wish for, huh?"

Everyone let out an uncomfortable laugh, Joel released little more than a huff.

As silence fell upon them, Ellie took the opportunity to dig again. Joel went back to eating his soup, lifting the spoon to his lips.

"So, Ash, there a special someone in your life?" Ellie pressed.

Joel sputtered, choking on the spoonful. He coughed loudly and everyone's eyes fell on him. As he took a long sip from his cup to clear his throat, he locked eyes with Ellie, shooting her a warning glare.

"Nope, nobody," Ash laughed, flicking his eyes briefly to Joel then back to Ellie.

"Interesting," Ellie chirped, turning to Joel.

"What about you?" Janet asked, cocking her head to the side as she looked at Joel as well.

Ash's face fell slightly and Ellie's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Joel looked behind him before returning his gaze to Janet.

"Me?"

Janet nodded, smiling pleasantly at him.

"Uh, no, been single for some time now," he explained before swallowing uncomfortably.

"Aw, that's sad," Janet cooed.

Joel shrugged.

Ash had gone back to eating his food. Ellie's glare at Janet only intensified as the woman spoke.

"Handsome guy like you?" Janet continued.

" _Any_ way," Ellie cut in, rolling her eyes, "Tommy had something he wanted to say to you, Joel."

Janet, stunned at Ellie's outburst, frowned slightly. Tommy stifled a laugh and nodded.

"That's right, I forgot," he turned to Joel, "Couple'a the boys have been thinking of branching out. Y'know...we've been here almost six months, haven't had a raid since before you two showed back up. Some of 'em thought it was time to go out surveying the area, expand the fence."

Joel nodded, interested.

"We know some of the area," Tommy continued, "Like the path to the ranch house. Might make a good addition to the property. Families are getting bigger, might not be a bad idea to take in more land."

"That's smart. Could use the space," Joel agreed.

Suddenly, a small boy with curly blond hair came scampering up to their table. The crew's eyes snapped to the child as he smiled at Tommy.

"Is it movie time yet?" The little boy asked, tipping his head to the side inquisitively.

Tommy laughed, "Yeah, it's about that time. You run ahead and get the other kids to pick the movie. I'll be in."

xXx

Joel walked down the hall back towards his room when Ellie jogged to catch up.

"Joel!"

He turned back to face her.

"Not watching the movie?" she pressed.

"No, I was jus' gonna head back to my room."

Ellie nodded, "I'll walk with you."

"You might miss the beginning," Joel insisted.

"Already seen it. They want to watch _Cars_ again. No offense, but I can only see talking vehicles so many times."

Joel laughed and began walking again, allowing Ellie to keep pace with him.

"So Ash definitely likes you," Ellie added, breaking the silence.

Joel sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Well he does. Do you think you might like him?"

"I thought we talked about this."

"Okay, but you didn't actually get to talk to him before so-"

Joel stopped in his tracks, shooting her a look.

"Ellie, enough."

Ellie let out a huff.

"I'm _just_ saying-"

"What about Janet?" Joel asked.

Ellie's face scrunched in disgust, "What _about_ her?"

"She seems nice."

"No."

"No? You're so bent on me endin' up with Ash you didn't notice she seemed interested?"

Ellie shook her head, miming vomiting, "No, Joel, _not_ Janet. She's a cheater."

"Oh?" Joel let out a laugh, crossing his arms.

"Yes, she slept with Simon when she got tired of Nick. She's bad news."

"Why do you care so much?"

"She _cheated_ , Joel, and not just on Nick. Cause then she cheated on Simon with Rico. _Sorry_ I don't want her to do that to you-"

"No, why do you care to set me up? I can find my own partner if I care. Which I don't."

"Psh, yeah."

"What?"

"That you can find your own person."

Joel's face displayed surprise.

"What makes you think I haven't already found someone?" He pressed.

Ellie let out a laugh, "Joel, we share a wall…"

Joel's eyes narrowed, "Go watch the creepy car movie."

He turned back around and opened his door.

"It's not creepy," she corrected, "Just weird."

"Goodnight," Joel told her, closing his door.

"Hey, we are still going swimming tomorrow, right?" Ellie pressed, peeking through the narrowing gap in the door.

"Yes, goodnight."

"Ash likes you!"

"Goodnight."

The door closed tightly.


End file.
